17-February-2024. Meow Wolf and Gallup

I finally left Santa Fe today and headed to Gallup, New Mexico. On the way there I had to make a stop in Grants NM per suggestion of Andy Jacques to take a selfie under the historic Route 66 sign.

So I need to back up a little bit from the above Route 66 photo – I actually started the day in Santa Fe by going to an art installation called Meow Wolf. It is honestly hard to describe!

You have to purchase timed entry tickets to Meow Wolf and the day was sold out so needless to say it's a popular attraction. When you go in there's a general lobby with a snack bar and souvenir shop and then you pass through a doorway where you enter "the exhibit". It's very dark and you see the exterior façade of a two-story house. You can start by checking out the contents of the mailbox but once you enter the house it's a relatively normal house with the kitchen, dining room and living room downstairs and a few bedrooms upstairs. But that's where the normality ends. There are several "portals" from the house through to a "different dimension". Yes that's right, a different dimension. I crawled through the fireplace in the living room and ended up in a neon world on the other side. Best way to describe it would be that it's maybe like a carnival funhouse? Or Alice In Wonderland? There are so many rooms on the other side that I can't even begin to describe or make sense of. Lots of colors,shapes, sizes and sensory items - like touching things that make music or turn colors. The backside is also multi level and you basically just wander around from room to room checking things out. If you have tons of time and desire you can try to unravel the mystery of why this house is there. Appears to be some kind of a portal through which you can travel to different places.

I spent about 90 minutes there and in the end I determined that I am more of a linear person who would have liked to have been given some kind of a clue sheet or mystery to solve or evidence to find. I found it a bit frustrating going room to room to room and having it all be so bizarre and not really knowing what I was looking at or looking for. it's a very popular attraction in the area and apparently the first of it's kind – there are now 3 such installations in the United States (the other two are in Las Vegas and Denver). Chalk it up to "glad I went but wouldn't ever need to go back". Still trying to make sense of it all!

I continued West to Gallup New Mexico. As mentioned previously I stopped in Grants to take a picture under the Route 66 arch – much of today's Interstate 40 is along the historic Route 66 stretch. Had gone to a car wash earlier in the day to wash the Gray Goose so it looks it's best in the photo. 😁

Late afternoon I arrived at the house of a friend of a friend-that's right, a perfect stranger invited me to their home! My college friend Amy used to live in Gallup NM and had mentioned to her friend Sharon that I am passing through and Sharon invited me.

Upon arrival in Gallup we had to go walk to the center of town so that we could check out a famous trading post before everything closed for the day. We went to Richardson's, which is the most popular trading post in the area – lots of Navajo history and culture here. Beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry and everything from saddles to lassos to woven rugs and pawned items. So interesting to see!

Then we continued on to El Rancho, a Gallup hotel/restaurant famous for the many Hollywood actors who stayed there in the 1930s through 60s while in Gallup to make westerns. We ate dinner and afterwards wandered the hotel lobby and balcony area where there were dozens of signed headshots of famous actors who had all stayed there. Decor and vibe was authentic and fun.